Process of purifying sugar.



J. 0ST. PROCESS 0E PUBIFYING SUGAR.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 30, 1908.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Q Vi WmM/a JILUMBIA PLANOOMPH C0., WASHINGTON. D- C- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JUAN 081', OF BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA.

PROCESS OF PURIFYING SUGAR.

Application filed November 30, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JUAN Osr, a citizen of the German Empire, residing at No. 7 d5 Calle Tucuman, in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, have invented a new Process of Purifying Sugar, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates to a new process which I have devised for the employment of the capillary attraction of porous bodies for the extraction of the impure syrup which covers the crystals of crude sugar.

In carrying my process into effect, I employ the capillarity of porous material, which I place in contact with the crude sugar and after this material has absorbed the syrup, I separate the porous material from the sugar by sifting, care being taken to employ porous substances of such dimensions that the volume of the individual porous bodies surpasses the volume of the sugar crystals, so that on carrying through the sifting process the porous bodies are retained on the sieve whereas the crystals are allowed to pass through the meshes of the sieve.

The accompanying drawing shows a diagrammatic view of apparatus in which my process can be conveniently and satisfactorily carried out.

In this apparatus I employ a mixing drum 1, and a rotary sieve 2 with suitable mechanical means for operating them.

The crude sugar which is to be purified, is introduced into the drum 1, by means of a funnel or hopper 3 together with the porous material employed and is set in motion by any convenient source of power.

By the rotation of the drum each sugar crystal is practically brought into repeated 7 contact with the absorbing substance on all sides, resulting in the almost complete cleansing of the sugar by the absorption of the adhering syrup and impurities contained therein. After this operation has been completed, the contents of drum 1 fall into the funnel 4: and through this, into the cylindrical sieve 2 which is really a rotary sifter, made of netting which allows the sugar to pass through the meshes thereof but retains the porous material. In the sifter, owing to the rotary movement thereof, the separation of the sugar from the porous material is efi'ected, the former falling into the passage 5 perfectly white and dry and ready Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Serial No. 345,828.

for refining; and the porous material saturated with the syrup which it has absorbed remaining in the siftcr. The porous materlal may be freed from this syrup by being placed in a trough and washed with water, or it may be subjected to the action of steam until freed from the impurities ab sorbed and in condition to be again employed.

Among the advantages of my invention the most important one results from the fact that, by the employment of this process, the crystals of the manipulated sugar, are scarcely at all dissolved, while by the usual processes of purifying by mixing the sugar with a quantity of syrup, treating it in a centrifugal machine, and finally clarifying the sugar with a water spray or a steam jet, a considerable quantity of the sugar crystals is dissolved, thereby diminishing the output and increasing the quantity of relatively pure syrup which leaves the centrifi'xgal machine and from which the extraction of sugar is difficult.

The small quantities of syrup which result from the operation of my process has a purity which corresponds to what are termed third or fourth products in sugar factories.

Besides the ordinary impurities which are extracted in the application of my process, there are also extracted mechanical impurities, and particles of albumen, wax and rosin which are very diflicult to remove by prior processes.

In my process, the size of the crystals is of no importance, and products of very fine crystals may be purified, which cannot be purified by the usual methods.

Apparatus for use in the practice of my process may be easily manufactured, and the same may be said of the porous bodies which may be woven or spun, absorbent materials, porous clay products, as unglazed pottery, or in fact, any absorbent material which may be suitable for the purpose. The preferred porous materials are products of textile manufacture, such products permitting of intimate contact with the crystals and allowing quick and thorough cleaning after impregnation with syrup without being broken to pieces.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

The process of purifying sugar crystals from adhering syrup, which consists in intimately mixing the crystals with bodies capaname to this specification in the presence of ble of absorbing the syrup by capillarity two subscribing witnesses. said bodies being of larger dimensions than the individual crystals, and thereafter efi'ect- JUAN ing a separation between the purified crys- Witnesses: tals and said absorbent bodies by sifting. A TO L. BELLA,

In testimony whereof I have signed my S. J. VITALE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

